The recipe for this bouquet was provided by Anne Dean (Chris' Mom), and originates in early Victorian times. The herbal ingredients can be commonly found in the garden or at the grocery store. (The Roses can be grown in your garden too - if you have a green enough thumb to be able to grow them!).
The preparation of the bouquet involved long hours of conditioning the herbs to make them last, and was finally wired and tied with the special expertise of the bride's good friend Olga. The finished bouquet then ended up standing in a bucket of water in the fridge to keep them fresh the night before the wedding. (No food in the fridge that night, just flowers!). They stayed fresh, until the bouquet ended up being thrown in the pool at the reception.
Below are the bouquet ingredients, and their meanings. As a note, the myrtle was originally used in Queen Victoria's bouquet and then planted at Osbourne House. Since then, a sprig from this bush has been in every royal wedding bouquet.
